College of Lake County notes

For more information, call (847) 223-6601 or visit www.clcillinois.edu.

Homecoming events: "Treasure These Days" is the theme for Homecoming events at the College of Lake County today and Friday.

Homecoming events will take place today in the Physical Education Center on the Grayslake campus, and will kick off at 4:30 p.m. with free entertainment, games, prize raffles and food. A Basketball Showdown against the Moraine Valley Community College Cyclones will include the Lancers' women's game at 5:15 p.m. and the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

The Jesse White Tumbling Team will perform between basketball games at approximately 6:45 p.m.

Following the men's game, the Office of Student Activities will sponsor a Homecoming Dance/After Party from 9 p.m. to midnight at the Byron Colby Barn, 1561 Jones Point Road in Prairie Crossing, Grayslake. The DJs will be Stylz and Roman, the afternoon on-air personalities from Chicago radio station B96 FM. The party is free for CLC students, staff and CLC Alumni Association members and $10 for others.

For more information, call the CLC Alumni Association (847) 543-2400 or the Office of Student Activities at (847) 543-2280, the sponsors of Homecoming 2008.

Spend a semester in China: CLC students of all ages are invited to study at Xi'an International University in China, taking courses in English from international faculty in a variety of disciplines. Students will be accompanied by CLC English instructor Mike Latza and will live with a Chinese family or in a university dormitory.

Five information sessions to explain the semester in China program will be held at the CLC Grayslake campus: at 7 p.m. today in A249; at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in T131; at 10 a.m. Feb. 2 in T234; at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 in T130; and at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 13 in T130. Scholarships and financial aid are available to qualified students.

Latza will accompany the CLC students as part of a faculty exchange program and he will teach two courses at Xi'an International University.

The application deadline for the program is March 1. For details, contact Audrey Iffert, project coordinator, at (847) 543-2456 or via e-mail at aiffert@clcillinois.edu. More information is also available at the Web site www.clcillinois.edu/depts/socdv/studyabroad.

China immersion program: The College of Lake County will sponsor a six-week summer overseas immersion study program to China from May 20 to July 1. Two information sessions to explain the program will be offered from 6 to 7 p.m. today in room B122 and from 7 to 8 p.m. Feb. 22 in room T118, both on the Grayslake Campus. The deadline to sign up for the summer program is March 1.

Chinese summer immersion program participants will take Chinese language and culture classes on the campus of Xi'an International University. CLC students can earn at least eight hours of college credit. The Chinese immersion program also includes visits to three major Chinese cities: Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai, and their many cultural and historical attractions.

For details, contact Professor George Liu at (847) 543-2948 or via e-mail at gliu@clcillinois.edu. Or visit www.clcillinois.edu/depts/socdv/studyabroad/summerProgram.asp.

Lunch & Learn Workshops: Sample the training resources offered by the Workforce and Professional Development Institute at the College of Lake County's Client Solutions at a "Lunch and Learn Series" session. A professional facilitator will deliver one hour of training in the following subjects:

• Essential Skills of Communicating: Friday in room T326, Grayslake campus.

• STAR Customer Service: Feb. 14 in room V336, Southlake campus.

• Improving Employee Work Habits: Mar. 12 in room T326, Grayslake campus.

• Essential Skills of Leadership: April 15 in room V336, Southlake Campus.

All Lunch and Learn sessions are from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is $30 per person, which includes participant guide, lunch and beverage. To register, call (847) 543-2615 or visit wpdi.clcillinois.edu.

"Let it be Known": The "Let It Be Known Concert Tour," a diverse mixture of R&B, rap, and a cappella music with comedy and continuous entertainment, will be presented from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday in the C 005 Auditorium on the CLC Grayslake Campus by the CLC Black Student Union and Society Entertainment.

Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. Children under 5 are free. Tickets are available at the door prior to the show or from the CLC Box Office at (847) 543-2300.

For more information, call Jorge Tennin at (847) 543-2343 or Sonia DuBose at (847) 543-2649.

"Ain't Misbehavin' ": The cast of "Ain't Misbehavin' " will take the stage, performing 30 show-stopping tunes by Fats Waller, at 8 p.m. Saturday at the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts' Mainstage Theatre.

The Tony Award-winning show, performed by Irving Street Repertory, includes such songs as "I Can't Give You Anything but Love," "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," "Honeysuckle Rose," "Mean to Me," "Black and Blue," "That Ain't Right," "Your Feets Too Big," "Find Out What They Like" and "Viper's Drag."

The show takes its audience from honky tonk dives to the Cotton Club, Tin Pan Alley and the Waldorf of the 1930s.

General public tickets range from $29 to $41 for adults and $16 for CLC students (including a $1 JLC restoration fee). Tickets are discounted for CLC staff, seniors 65 and older and members of the CLC Alumni Association. Tickets are available at the CLC Box Office in the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts, and can be purchased in person, by phone at (847) 543-2300 or at www.clcillinois.edu/tickets.

Chinese New Year: In celebration of the Chinese New Year, the College of Lake County will hold a reception and dinner, open to community members, area businesspeople and CLC faculty, staff and students from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Silk Mandarin Restaurant, 4 East Phillip Road, Vernon Hills.

The cost is $25 per person, and all event proceeds will benefit Chinese study abroad scholarships. An R.S.V.P. is required by Sunday. For more information and registration, contact Dr. Li-hua Yu at (847) 543-2741 or via e-mail at lyu@clcillinois.edu.

Theater auditions: Local actors are invited to audition for the College of Lake County Theatre Department's spring production of Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, "How I Learned to Drive."

Three women and two men are needed. Actors should prepare a two-minute memorized contemporary monologue that is either comic or tragicomic, be prepared to read from the play and bring an acting resume if they have one. Auditions will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and actors need only attend one session. Auditions will be held in the Studio Theatre at the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts at CLC, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake. Callbacks will be Jan. 31 from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Copies of the play are available at the Grayslake Library/Learning Resource Center circulation desk for in-library reading. Rehearsals will be held Monday through Thursday evenings (with the occasional Friday evening) until tech week and will begin Feb. 18. Performances will be April 11 to 19.

For audition information, call the CLC Communication Arts, Humanities and Fine Arts division at (847) 543-2040.

Blood Drive: The College of Lake County Health Center and LifeSource will hold a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday in Anderson Court, located in Building A on the Grayslake Campus. Donors must be 17 or older, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health and not have donated blood within 56 days. Donors will receive a mini-physical that includes a blood pressure check and iron-level count. The blood drive will be conducted on a walk-in basis. Donors should also bring a photo ID. For information about the blood drive or to make an appointment, call the CLC Health Center at (847) 543-2064.

Small Business Workshops: The spring 2008 "Know to Grow" workshop series covers topics that are important for the healthy development and growth of a small business. The workshops will be held in the T Wing of the Grayslake campus.

Upcoming workshops include:

• Starting a Business in Illinois, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 6; cost: $20.

• Quickbooks Module 1 - A Practical Introduction, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Feb. 7 and 14; cost: $149.

• Making Marketing Work on a Tight Budget, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 13; cost: $35.

• Basic Recordkeeping for Small Business, from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 20; cost: $40.

• Understanding Technology for Your Small Business, from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 28; cost: $35.

For more information, call (847) 543-2033 or visit wpdi.clcillinois.edu/sbdc.

International Film Series: There is no charge for films in the International Film Series, which will be screened at 7 p.m. on Friday nights in room A162 on the CLC Grayslake Campus. The films are subtitled when necessary, have adult content and are not suitable for children. For more information, contact Patrick Gonder, CLC film instructor, at (847) 543-2555 or at pgonder@clcillinois.edu.

"Volver," starring Penelope Cruz (2006) will be shown on Feb. 8. "Offside" which follows a group of female soccer fans in their attempts to disguise themselves as men and sneak into the largest stadium in Tehran, where women are forbidden, will be screened on March 14. "The Host," which merges a dysfunctional family comedy and a monster movie, will be shown on April 25.

Lean Office Workshop: Business leaders will learn techniques geared to make their offices run more efficiently at a half-day "Lean Office" workshop from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at the CLC Southlake Campus, 1120 S. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills. The workshop will offer tips to implementing Lean Office techniques to streamline processes for efficiency. To register or for details, call (847) 543-2615 or visit wpdi.clcillinois.edu. The cost is $99 per person, which includes a continental breakfast.

Chinese Language Program: Community members are also welcome to attend CLC's Chinese Language Immersion Program sessions from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 9, March 8, April 12 and May 10 in the lower lobby of the C Wing at the CLC Grayslake campus. Sessions are open to anyone with a desire to learn Chinese, including adults, high school students and CLC students. No proficiency is required to participate.

The Chinese Language Immersion sessions will feature four or five native Chinese speakers who facilitate a series of language-building activities. Refreshments will be provided, and participants may attend any or all sessions, with no commitment to attend future sessions.

For more information about CLC's East Asian Studies opportunities, contact Dr. Li-hua Yu, project director, at (847) 543-2741 or via e-mail at lyu@clcillinois.edu.

Members exhibition: A Members Exhibition, featuring a diverse collection of 100 art works created by 90 Lake County artist members of the Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, will run through Feb. 24 in the gallery at the College of Lake County.

The opening night reception, which is free and open to the public, will include refreshments and musical entertainment by Irish harpist Daphne Freund. During the reception, art gifts in ARTcetera, the gallery's sales shop, will be discounted 10 percent. Members of the Friends of the Gallery will receive a total of 20 percent off items purchased during the reception.

The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art is located in the west wing of the main campus building in Grayslake. Patrons should enter through the C wing and proceed toward the Library/Learning Resource Center. For further information about the gallery, call curator Steve Jones at (847) 543-2240 or visit gallery.clcillinois.edu/. Hours for this exhibit are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.